


the roots of something greener

by poisonousquinzel



Category: Batman: The Animated Series, Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) (2020), Harley Quinn (Cartoon 2019), Harley Quinn (Comics), Poison Ivy (Comics)
Genre: Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, F/M, Harleen Quinzel Needs a Hug, Implied/Referenced Domestic Violence, Protective Pamela Isley, Serious Injuries, we all know what happens in that story
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-24
Updated: 2021-03-05
Packaged: 2021-03-14 09:41:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,004
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29665353
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/poisonousquinzel/pseuds/poisonousquinzel
Summary: The Harley and Ivy reunion that’s missing from the end of “Mad Love”
Relationships: (mentioned) - Relationship, Joker (DCU)/Harleen Quinzel, Pamela Isley/Harleen Quinzel
Comments: 19
Kudos: 151





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote a post on Tumblr about this and then like a dork sporadically wrote it so here we are skksks there might be spelling errors, like I said I just wrote this skks but I've been cleaning all day and I don't really feel like beta'ing it so lol

Pamela was a lot of things, but stupid wasn’t one of them. She didn’t miss the side glances from the public, laced with fear and something she couldn’t place. She didn’t miss the absence of Harley’s chit chatter while she worked on a formula.    
And she didn’t miss Batman’s offhand comment about Arkham.

“What did you say?”

His face was flat and she glared at him. 

“You don’t know.”

He didn’t say it like a question and the vine wrapped around his throat tightened dangerously. 

“H-Harley, she’s in Arkham.” She released some pressure. 

Ivy took a deep breath and exhaled. 

“Not surprising, it wouldn’t be the first time you’ve put her in there.”

His look didn’t let up and she felt her irritation rising again. It felt like she was missing part of the equation, like she was being left in the dark. 

“She’ll break out,” Ivy glanced momentarily to the side, the hint of a smirk spreading on her face. “She always does.”

“No one’s breaking out in a wheelchair,” 

Ivy’s face tightened and she stepped forward. Her vines tore up concrete and latched violently onto his arms, tightening.

“Not even her.”

“What. Did. You. Do?” She was inches away from him, her babies climbing into the air behind her like daggers. 

“No-not.” Batman choked against the pressure from her vine. “J-Jok-er.”

It wasn’t surprising, not in the slightest, but it still felt like a slap. Her babies retreated from him, allowing him to sag onto the ground and gasp for air. 

The streets would run red before the night was done, that she was sure of. This was the final straw. She’d allowed that madman to walk free for too long and she wasn’t going to lose  _ her _ ... her one friend because she hesitated. 

Harley would be mad, for a time, but she would be alive. 

And The Joker would not be.

She turned on her heel, her battle forgotten as she let herself fade into the green, searching for the target of her anger.

A hand gripped her leg tightly and she glared down, rearing her free leg back to kick him away, but he released her almost immediately. 

“She needs you, Ivy.” He let the statement hang for a moment. “You know how the staff treats her. She can’t walk, she can’t get out of bed on her own.” He stood, his legs shook. “I can get you two celled together.” 

Ivy crossed her arms. 

“But they won’t do it if you kill him.”

“And _what_ makes you think I have any intention of letting her stay in there?”

Batman mimicked her stance.

“You’d already be halfway to Arkham if you thought you could move her safely.”

Fucking bastard. 

But he was right, and they both knew it.

“So what, you expect me to just give myself up and let you drag me there like some low life detainee?” 

“No. I **hope** you’ll walk there with me and let me do the talking so I can get you two celled together.”

Ivy considered it silently.

“You’ll have all the time in the world after she heals, Joker isn’t going anywhere.”

༻✦༺ ༻✧༺ ༻✦༺

She hates clowns, she hates men, she hates lowlife, pathetic excuses for villains who beat their girlfriends. 

Pamela hates a lot of things, but the sleeping blonde on the other side of the glass… 

Well, she was someone she just couldn’t hate. 

The conversation between Bat’s and the staff seemed to have ended and he stepped over to her silently. 

From the leery gaze the doctor gave her as she walked over and handed her an orange stack of clothes, she assumed he’d convinced them.

“I’ll call someone down to move her to cell C4, it’s down the hall and to the left.”

“No.” Ivy said sternly. “I’ll move her. I don’t want you or _any_ one of these vermin touching her.” 

The doctor looked taken aback, but Batman stepped in, asking her if they had a wheelchair they could use. 

She glanced between the two of them for a moment, before nodding, handing the set of keys over to him. 

“Return them when you’re done, I’ll have someone bring the chair up.”

“Thank you.” 

Ivy wasn’t listening anymore, slipping the scratchy fabric over her tank top. She didn’t take her eyes off Harley and the even rising and falling of her chest. 

Batman stepped over and unlocked the door, moving aside to let her in.

If it was any other day, any other situation, she’d be less willing to walk into a cell. Not when she’s got enough plant life in her pockets to take out the entire staff and parking lot with ease.

But this wasn’t any other day and Harley wasn’t just some person.

Ivy stepped into the cell, kneeling next to the hard cot she was sleeping on. 

She looked better from the hallway and it made her feel murderous. 

There was gauze taped against her forehead and jaw, disappearing beneath the neck brace and her eye was at the last stages of swelling, a dark purple bruise danced down to her cheekbone. 

She could see the outline of a boot underneath the thin blanket they gave inmates and her arm was tucked against her chest. She could only imagine what the rest of her body looked like.

Ivy felt sick and she looked dead.

“What the fuck did he do?” The words came out just above a whisper and she cursed herself when she noted the tears blurring her vision.

She could see the conflict on his face and she glared up tearfully at him.

“What happened?” 

“She almost had me, she called him and he,”

“He wouldn’t chance letting her have that glory.” She finished softly, reaching up and brushing a strand of hair from her face.

Batman paused, collecting his words. 

“Just tell me. I’m not going anywhere.” 

The  _ I’m not leaving her  _ was left unsaid, but she didn't need to say it. He knew.

“When he arrived he was angry. He yelled and he hit her, multiple times. And...And then he knocked her out of the window.” Ivy's body jerked and she clenched her jaw. “It was a 5 story building.” 

If she was alone, she would have sobbed. But she wasn't, so she swallowed it down and focused on the other emotion brewing in her veins.

“I hope you know I’m **not** letting him live once she’s recovered. You, nor any of those pathetic excuses for law enforcement, will stop me.” Ivy looked up at him, her knees cramping from kneeling next to the cot and her cheeks warm and wet with tears, but a rage in her eyes that made him falter. 

Batman nodded. 

“I...I’m aware.” 

It felt like there was a silent agreement between them, an understanding, a  _ when the time comes I won’t approve but I will look the other way, this once.  _

A doctor came up the hallway with a wheelchair and the conversation ended abruptly. Her attention glued back onto Harley. 

“Hey, sweetie?” She coaxed gently, not wanting to frighten the woman more than she likely already was. “Peanut? I need you to wake up for a bit.”

Harley moaned, her arm twitched against her chest and then her eyes fluttered open.

“I-Ivy?” She said tiredly, but becoming more focused once she realized the other woman was actually in front of her. “Ivy! What’re ya doin’ here?” Her eyes flicked to Batman. “Ah.” She said simply. 

“Oh, no, I'm, I’m here for you. Batman, he,” She paused, meeting the eyes of the woman she’d come to love. “He told me what happened.” 

“And yer here?” Harley's eyes widen in surprise and she yawned. “‘Yer not goin’ after Mr....” Harley froze and her face paled, swallowing. 

“No, I...I figured that would be a nice “first day out” activity.” She said awkwardly, her face flushed slightly, but it seemed to pull her from her memory.

Harley chuckled.

“Awe, Red, ya charmer. You certainly know tha way ta a girl’s heart.” Harley grinned up at her and she found herself grinning back. 

“Ivy, we need to get you two moved.” Batman reminded her from the entrance to the cell. 

Harley’s brows scrunched together.

“We’re movin’? Where?”

“Just down the hall, sweetpea. We’re gonna bunk together.” Ivy said as she stood, taking the chair from the doctor and wheeling it into the room. 

Harley’s eyes lit up.

“Ooo, like a sleepover?!” She said excitedly, looping her arms around Ivy’s neck as she picked her up carefully, setting her in the chair. 

Ivy smiled down at her, kissing her forehead in a burst of sudden emotion. 

“Yeah, just like a sleepover.” Ivy said softly as she moved around the chair, wheeling it around and out of the door. She followed Batman down the hall, ignoring the stares or greetings from the other inmates that would be her household for the next few months. 

Her eyes could only focus on the woman in front of her, who was chatting happily about something she'd seen on the tv yesterday. The woman who had somehow weaseled her way into, what she’d believed, was her unhuman heart. 

But she couldn’t deny it, she loved her, probably more than she would ever fully be able to express, more than the other woman would probably be able to believe. But she did, with every part of her that was human and every part that called and ached to go to her babies, she  _ loved  _ her.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was going to include them dealing with Joker, but the ending felt like a good chapter stopping point so sksksk I do wanna write chapter 3, I've got parts here and there in mind, it'll be from Harley's POV, but I'm in the middle of another wip and that's taking a lot of mental energy lol I wasn't expecting such a great response, thank y'all sm 🥺❤️

The bruise on her eye took two weeks to the day to heal and Pamela hadn't left her side once. Harley swore she must be getting sick of her at this point, but then she'd remember how pale and sickly Harley looked that night she arrived and she'd shake her head with a sad smile. 

_"Never."_

She had more nightmares than Pam had seen before, it wasn't the first time the two have housed together, but it was almost every night now.

Pamela wished the glass wasn't see through, wished they had more privacy, but in those moments of hesitation to be openly concerned she'd hear the soft, fearful whimpers from the bed beneath her and then she was on the ground, kneeling next to the twitching woman. 

She'd brush the damp bangs from her face and whisper comforting words that she'd normally scoff at the thought of saying out loud. She wouldn't move until the wrinkles on her forehead smoothed, until the death grip on the streets loosened enough that Pamela could take her hand. 

And then she'd curl up next to her on the cot three times smaller than comfortable, but she couldn't sleep unless she could hear her breathing. 

Every day the doors would open and she'd flinch, a breath of paralyzation until it was clear they weren't escorting a new inmate. 

They weren't escorting _him._

It made the murderous rage lurking in her gut lurch, a want to leave, to find him and show him the real power of the green. To show him how weak he truly was. 

But that time would come, and they'd do it together. 

༻✦༺ ༻✧༺ ༻✦༺

The doctors wanted her to leave the cell at least once a day, for breakfast or dinner. Pamela wanted to sprout torned things from their throats. 

But Harley insisted. 

_"It'll be fine, Pammy. Oooh, and you could bring me one of the chocolate puddin's! They only serve 'em in the cafeteria and ya gotta get in early or else they'll be gone."_

She'd rambled for a bit about the inner workings of cafeteria etiquette and the perfect times to arrive to get the best food each day. 

So here she was, standing tall, but awkwardly in line, squished between inmates she didn't recognize, but that clearly knew of her. 

Pamela found that she wasn't hungry as she looked over the small selection of food, but knew that Harley would be able to tell if she skipped the meal, so she took a plain salad and a pudding cup. 

_"Oh it was tha worst, Pammy! Yer just standin' there with ya food and it feels like everyone's lookin' at ya and ya just wanna sit down and eat your shitty cafeteria burger that's freez'a burnt, ha, man I don't miss public school food. Hahaha."_

Pamela swallowed and glanced around the packed room with a familiar feeling of loneliness. She wanted to go back to the room, back to Harley. 

She heard someone behind her and she looked over.

Selina paused briefly next to her, giving her a casual smile, and then bee lined for a small, empty table in the corner. Ivy followed and slid in across from her. 

“Wasn’t expecting to see you out of the cell so soon.” 

Ivy shrugged, stabbing at a piece of lettuce with her dull, plastic fork. 

_Safety hazard._

“Harley wanted pudding.” She gestured towards the cup with her fingers, a smile playing on her lips. “And she insisted that I needed to interact with other people and that it’s “bad for my mental health” to only talk to her.” 

Selina laughed. 

“Well, maybe she’s right.” Ivy gave her a sharp look. “Admit it, Ive, you’d sound ridiculous if you picked up her accent.” Selina pointed at her with her spoon, a smirk on her lips.

Ivy huffed in amusement and took a bite of her salad. 

“How’s she doing, anyway?” 

Ivy didn’t respond for a moment. 

“Better, physically, at least.” Ivy pushed her fork around and sighed. “You know how she gets, how he gets inside her head.” 

Selina nodded grimly. 

“The nightmares have been worse, more intense. It’s hard to wake her up sometimes.” Ivy admitted quietly, staring down at the table with a tight stare, fighting off the burning in the back of her eyes.

“Doubt being in here helps any, they have a lot of history in Arkham…” 

Selina stood a few minutes later, saying a short, but friendly goodbye to Ivy before ducking out of the room. 

Ivy stood a moment later, throwing her trash away and tucking the pudding cup up her sleeve as she passed a guard on her way back to C block.

The hallway was cold and she thought again that she wished she had a thicker blanket for Harley. 

Her legs get itchy when she's got stubble and it's cold. She's complained about not being able to properly scratch it, but there's nothing Ivy can do about the cast. She can make her warmer though. 

Ivy rounded the corner to the C block and almost ran into Selina. 

"Fuckin', fuck, what the hell, Selina?" Ivy huffed, but the words were laced with mild amusement. 

Selina smirked slightly and glanced over at her from where she was leaning against the wall, holding out a small stack of papers towards her.

"Here, give these to her. It'll give her something to distract herself with." Selina said before retreating back down the hallway. 

Ivy glanced curiously at the stack as she walked. There were a few coloring books and colored pencils that she knew Harley wasn't allowed to have. 

_Safety hazard._ Ivy smiled. 

Harley looked up from her lap when she walked in, her eyes lighting up. 

"Didja have a good time?! Did ya see Kitty? I heard one of tha security chumps complainin' 'bout losin' his wallet." Harley giggled before her eyes landed on the unopened pudding cup Ivy was holding. "Oh! Gimme gimme gimme." She waved her one free arm and Ivy laughed, opening the cup and passing it to her as she climbed into the bed across from her, being mindful of the cast on her leg. 

"Yeah, I saw Selina. She wanted me to give you these." She handed Harley the stack of books and color pencils. 

Harley made a happy noise around her mouthful of pudding.

"Awe, ain't she sweet?" She cooed, flipping through the color book on top. "We gotta get 'er somethin' nice when we get out, aft'a dealin' with _Minsta J_ that is." Her teeth clenched and she hissed out the name. 

Ivy reached over and brushed a strand of hair away from her face after it almost went in her pudding. 

"We could take a trip to Hawaii, let Gotham simmer after the circus burns." 

Harley nodded excitedly. 

"And I'm sure there's some environmental cause down there ya'd be interested in." 

"The only _cause_ I'm interested in right now is _you,_ peanut." 

Harley blushed and grinned around the spoon in her mouth. 

༻✦༺ ༻✧༺ ༻✦༺

Each day Selina left a couple cups of pudding at the end of Harley's bed. Sometimes they were chocolate, sometimes tapioca, but they were always there. 

Ivy had no idea how she got in and out of the cell without either of them noticing, but she didn't pay it too much mind. Harley was ecstatic to have the extra dessert. 

The alarms went off one night, loud, red and deafening. 

Harley flinched against her side and Pamela pressed a kiss against her head. She held her close as the red flashing filled their room, it was enough to give Pamela a headache. 

It was announced Catwoman had escaped her cell. 

Harley laughed, mumbling tiredly about them not standing a chance at catching her. 

Ivy had to agree, but she was going to miss her lunch partner. 

༻✦༺ ༻✧༺ ༻✦༺ 

It took roughly a month for her neck brace to be removed, her arm had been transferred from the sling to a slim arm cast. 

Harley was happier, some nights she would fall asleep peppering kisses on Ivy's neck, just cause she was happy to be able to move her head around and reach up.

Some nights she would bury her head in Ivy's chest and scream and kick her free leg until Ivy wrapped her up in the blanket and coaxed her back to consciousness. 

She didn't sleep anymore on those nights, but Ivy did her best to take her mind off it. Sometimes she would just cry, huddled against her into the wee hours of the morning. Sometimes she would hide underneath the blanket and wouldn't let Ivy touch her. 

Sometimes she wouldn't react, she'd wipe away the tears and make a joke about disliking waking up to the sound of angry banging from the guards. 

Ivy thought she disliked that reaction the most. She didn't know how to react. It was clear she wasn't okay during those moments, the smallest noise would make her flinch, but it didn't seem like Harley noticed that. 

She didn't notice anything sometimes. She would stare for hours on end at the wall, a look in her eyes that made Ivy's skin crawl. That made the murderous tick in her veins race. 

༻✦༺ ༻✧༺ ༻✦༺ 

When Ivy returned to the cell after lunch it was empty. There weren’t signs of a struggle, but Harley was still quite injured. She couldn't struggle much. 

Her mind raced, ending on the clearest outcome.

_Joker._

Her stomach twisted and she felt sick. 

There was a faint static in her ears, her legs felt like led. 

She shouldn't have left. 

Her nails dug painfully into her palms. 

She shouldn't have left her alone. 

"Red!" Ivy's head snapped to the side, her eyes wet with unshed tears. 

Harley's grinning, cheerful face was like a rush of bliss. Ivy opened her arms on instinct. 

The next moment Harley lept into her arms with a gleeful squeal. 

"I've ne'va missed walkin' more than aft'a bein' stuck in that bed fer weeks." Harley kicked her legs happily as Ivy stepped into their cell, still holding her in her arms bridal style. 

"I didn't know you were getting the cast off today." 

"Me eith'a, tha doctor showed up few minutes aft'a ya left fer lunch. Thought I'd surprise ya." Harley giggled. "Did I scare ya?" She said jokingly, resting her cheek on Ivy's shoulder. 

Ivy paused. 

"Yeah.” She said honestly. “I thought…" She left the rest unsaid. It didn't need saying. 

Harley frowned and looked up at her. 

"Oh shit, I didn't...I'd'a left ya a note if I'd thought 'bout it." She whispered, pressing an apologetic kiss to Ivy's shoulder. 

Ivy shook her head and placed Harley onto the bottom bunk. 

"It's okay, the doctors don't like being told to wait." 

Harley hummed in agreement, nodding thoughtfully, before patting the bed next to her. 

"Of course not, us _doctors_ certainly hate wasting time, so let's not waste anymore of theirs, hm?" Harley grinned, clapping excitedly when Ivy gave a knowing sigh and sat down across from her. 

"Is that your way of saying you're getting restless?" 

"It's my way'a sayin' let's blow this popsicle stand." Harley bit her lip and cackled, leaning closer towards the other woman. 

Ivy laughed. 

She felt the warmth of Harley's hand near hers and danced her fingers closer until she felt Harley's pointer finger wrap around her own. 

༻✦༺ ༻✧༺ ༻✦༺

It wasn't hard for her to bust a hole in the side of their cell and the moment they made it into the yard she bloomed a flower bud out of the ground and pulled Harley onto the soft petals alongside her. They disappeared into the earth and the sound of the alarms vanished. 

Harley was pressed against her side, her hand resting on Ivy's stomach. She looked tired. 

"It'll take a bit before we're home, if, if you want to go to sleep." Ivy stuttered a bit at the soft smile that spread across her face. 

"M'kay…" Harley shifted and tucked her face into Ivy's neck. 

She tried not to shiver at the small breaths that brushed against her skin and focus on where she was guiding the bud. 

She wrapped her arms around Harley's waist, fiddling with the end of her shirt. 

Her house was on the outskirts of Gotham, far away from any prying eyes or strays. 

She bloomed the flower bud in the backyard next to the door. 

Harley was fast asleep at this point, her lips parted slightly as she breathed. Ivy watched her for a minute, twirling the end of her shirt absentmindedly. 

She hooked her arm underneath Harley's leg and lifted her up bridal style. The ferns next to the door brushed up and pushed the door open in front of her and she walked in, knocking the light switch with her elbow. 

The babies were joyful, a luscious green, the soil damp with water. There were clothes and a black bag that wasn’t hers set neatly on the counter top in the kitchen. 

A root slid around the floor near her, a small white note gently held in its grasp. 

_Pantry is packed, clothes and activities for Harley._

**_He knows she’s out. Don’t leave until she’s ready._ **

_X_

_Selina._

Harley was right, they would have to do something nice for her once this was all over. 

Harley mumbled against her neck and Ivy continued onto the small bedroom. Vines curled around her feet as she walked, swirling up the bed frame and pulling the blanket down. 

Ivy laid her down, gently unhooking Harley’s arms from her neck. She carefully took out her pigtails and fluffed the hair.

Harley complained about headaches a lot, she had a bad habit of falling asleep without taking them out.

Ivy didn’t need as much sleep as regular humans, depending on the season and how just sun she’d gotten that day, so she’s taken it upon herself in the past few months to take them out. 

It also gave her an excuse to run her fingers through her hair, so she was more than happy to do it. 

Harley mumbled again and her hand reached blindly out in search of her. Ivy resisted the urge to hold her hand and instead reached down and pulled up the blanket. She tucked it in around her shoulders and smoothed the fabric. 

She stepped around to the otherside of the bed and curled up next to Harley, on top of the blanket. Then she reached over and grabbed Harley’s hand again, pressing a soft kiss against her knuckles.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 💖 Please let me know what you thought in the comments if you feel like it, it means the absolute world to me. 💖

**Author's Note:**

> ❤️❤️❤️ I hope you guys liked it! I love writing uh angst sksks  
> 💖 Please let me know what you thought in the comments if you feel like it, it means the absolute world to me. 💖


End file.
